This thesis is a study of a small collection of
Spenser's poems which was published in London in 1596. The
title of the collection is the Fowre Hymnes and it is one
of the most confusing of Spenser's poetic works. In fact,
none of the critics seem to know why this work was written
or what is actually in it. The letter of dedication also
presents some problems. My purpose in this thesis is to
discuss these problems and to offer a textual analysis of
each of the printed poems. Once this has been done, I
will make some general comments about the collection as a
whole.
I will begin by explaining who the poet's patrons were
and what they were like in actual life. This is important
to our study because it helps us understand the letter of
dedication and the contents of the poems themselves. Unfortunately,
there is little information on either of the
ladies to whom the Hymnes are dedicated and it is consequently
necessary to study their male relations in order
to determine what their position was in life.